Simple Burglar Alarm for Workshop

[JoeS]

Hello All,

I want a simple burglar alarm for the workshop so that if someone puts in the door I get woken up in the night... we live on a farm and over the last couple of weeks there have been a number of break ins and I am terrified that my workshop will be next.

The workshop has a single point of access which is a timber door which I've added more locks to - I have blink cameras already set up within it. But what I really don't want is more batteries to change and also don't really want movement sensing causing false alarms (...as there are other people living on the farm)...

...so what I want is an alarm with a simple reed switch which is hard wired into the mains... which makes a big bloody noise if the door is put in. This seems like an incredibly simple system, but I can't find anything online which fits the bill...

Everything these days is smart and wireless....and with movement sensors...

Does anyone have any ideas?

 

[Spectric]

How good are you with electrical systems ? You can use movement sensors inside the workshop which would trigger a sounder but that is like shutting the gate after the horse has bolted. What you want is to stop them breaking in, in the first place. Reinforce the door with cross bars and make sure that the farmyard is either illuminated by lights on a timer or unfortunatly motion sensors because darkness is a scumbags good freind. Could you not park something in front of the workshop so you cannot get to the door, yes a pita for you but overnight a good detterent.

As for sounders and noise you could modify a DOL starter switch if you know basic electrical. In this case the trip switch operated by your doors becomes the Start button and it would latch the sounder until you hit the STOP button. You could insert a timer so that when triggered it latches for a period of time and the timer momentary pulses so dropping out the DOL but if the doors were still open then it would just restart the cycle.

 

[Wilson joinery]

Hi joe

Could you possibly modify the door so it opens outwards rather than inwards? Harder to break in that way.

If it’s a wooden framed door have you got some big concrete screws going into the brickwork/blockwork?

Just chucking some additional ideas out there.

Cheers
Pete

 

[JoeS]

Thanks @Wilson joinery - good idea. Sadly it wouldn't be possible in the location it's in.

I think there is little else I can do to up physical security. I've even now chained certain machines to one another...but these guys are coming armed with cordless cutting equipment/sledge hammers etc.

 

[artie]

How about a sign on the door.

Entrance to slurry removal valve.
Danger of methane gas.

Respirator and full PPE must be worn beyond this door.

Health & Safety Executive blah blah blah.

 

[MikeJhn]

Most alarm systems are 12volt and a car battery on one will last for months, just an option.

 

[Phill05]

I lived / worked on a farm in my younger days and we had break in problems the old farmer wired around the building and the door with the electric fence we never had problems after that, we had some sh-ite thrown at the door and bottles of undrinkable but they never went in again.

 

[Dabop]

The simplest system would cost almost zero ...
Get a key switch, wire it to a cheap piezo 'screamer' siren and a 12v power supply with a NC magnetic switch and a relay with NC contacts ...
Wire the PSU with the magnetic reed switch in the positive lead then to the relay coil, and the negative lead to the other coil connection...
The siren positive and negative go back to the PSU as well...

With an old 12v PSU if you have one lying around you could do the lot for under a tenner..

I fitted this exact system to my stepfathers shed about twenty years ago, and it's still working lol

 

[Agent_zed]

I haven't looked at the cost but the latest thing seems to be fog systems. You can't nick what you can't see. I first saw them as systems for shop robberies, they fill the space in 30s. Saw an advert for one of the main home security firms as they are doing them for home use now.

I had wondered about this years ago and doing a budget version. A trip wire or remote solenoid and a smoke grenade and your garage is filled with pink smoke
I don't think they are illegal as you can get them online for about £15.

 

[BCS1980UK]

Hire Kevin, home security consultant:



Sorry, couldn't contain myself.

 

[Inspector]

If you are around your farm all the time get a big dog. Put it in the shop every night to sleep in and let it out in the morning. Between the barking and beware of dog signs crooks won't bother. You get a companion to boot. More costly than an alarm and more effective.

Pete

 

[Sideways]

I'd be minded to include a brutally loud sounder INSIDE the building as well as anything outside. Fire alarm sirens are designed to be so loud you can't ignore them, that sort of idea. 120dB maybe more, up at the level where it physically hurts and will cause hearing damage if you hang around in it.
Keep your ear defenders out of sight. It's hard to nick stuff if you have your hands clamped over your ears and even in the wilds, your burglars have got to be thinking that amount of noise must have been noticed.

 

[Blackswanwood]

You can buy the components for a wired system individually. It may be worth emailing a few of the suppliers that come up online to ask what they suggest. I agree that going for a painfully loud siren is a good idea.

 

[niemeyjt]

A few random thoughts:

If you use a PIR in an outbuilding, given climatic fluctuations it is advisable to use a dual function PIR (IR and sonar if I recall) to avoid false alarms.

My daughter has got a Ring set-up and loves it - although there is a one minute lag (may be changeable). If a device has a USB recharger (like Ring) you can mains connect it so no battery swapping. She has filmed three dodgy characters so far - one casing the joint and two porch pirates. Sadly she is in the Met Police area so they seem to have done sweet FA.

Doors - Proper DIY did something that might be feasible for you:

I have just painted my tools with Smartwater - not a protection, I know - but given the previous post of all those recovered tools in Kent, if mine gets nicked then it may get identified. They also give you stickers you can put outside which may deter.

Smartwater do a door spray also - but that relies on the Police actually doing something if triggered - so again may not work for you.

Bosch do a phone app that allows you to record serial numbers etc - and not just of Bosch kit. Again, not a preventative measure but may be useful with insurance and recovery.

That just about covers the legal steps I can think of.

HTH

(so sad that the admins of this site think security is so unimportant that they do not do a separate section for security related issues so all information is together)

 

[TRITON]

Once upon a time this was the common method of thief deterrence

 

[niemeyjt]

Yes - that's why I said "legal" in post above